Monday, August 29, 2011

If you want to capture still photos of fast motion (like pressing pause on your DVD player) you have to use a fast shutter speed. Many sports photographers use very fast shutter speeds to capture the peak moment and freeze it in time.

1/2000 of a second is an incredibly fast shutter speed and is not one that you will typically use. The most common shutter speeds are anywhere from 1/500 to 1/60. If you want sharp images while holding the camera in your hands, you cannot use shutter speeds much slower than 1/60 because it's hard to hold the camera steady. Slow shutter speeds blur motion and you are creating motion by holding the camera in your hands. You can solve this camera shake problem by stabilizing the camera on a tripod.

Some of the new digital camera models offer an anti-shake feature. These features produce crisp photos even when you are hand-holding the camera with a shutter speed less than 1/60.

Digital Camera Shutter Speed Display

The most common shutter speeds are measured in fractions of seconds. However, camera displays do not have enough room to show you numbers like 1/800.

Instead, digital cameras just display the bottom number: 800. If you look at your camera's display and it tells you that your shutter speed is 125, this does not mean 125 seconds. That would make for some very long and boring picture taking.

Instead, most cameras indicated seconds with a double quote after the number. So a one second shutter speed is displayed as 1". A 30 second shutter speed is displayed as 30".

Shutter Priority

Many digital cameras can be set to shutter priority mode. In this mode, you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically selects theaperture so that the photograph has the right exposure.

Shutter Speed Comparisons

Situation

Setting

Speed

A Formula 1 racing car is moving at high speed, and you don't want the image blurry

Very fast shutter speed

2000 to 4000

Your kids on sports day, and you want the images to be sharp and clear

Fast shutter speed

500 to 1000

You are taking a photo of your favourite pet, and your pet is being polite and sitting still

Moderate shutter speed

125 to 500

A merry-go-round is spinning and you want to show how fast it is going by letting the horses blur

About Me

Thank you for visiting my blog.
I live on the Redcliffe Peninsula in sunny Queensland Australia.
An avid photographer with many years experience.
I especially enjoy Landscape/Waterscape photography.With it's many & varying aspecs,& topics photography is a subject that is a never ending learning experience.
I would like to share my knowledge with those who have an interest in photography.
You are more than welcome to email me with any questions you may have.